Blandford Fly

The Blandford Fly is a small blackfly, which has caused a major problem to residents of the district due to nuisance biting.

Bites from the notorious Fly have been dramatically reduced thanks to aggressive treatment of rivers.

Authorities along the River Stour, including North Dorset, East Dorset and Poole Councils and the North Dorset Primary Care Trust, contribute to the treatment, which is carried out by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

The larvae are sprayed as they emerge from the river in late April to prevent them reaching adulthood and causing a nuisance to local people.

North Dorset District Council, which contributes over £8,000 a year to the treatment, manages the project as the concentration of the insect has traditionally been highest in the district.

Generally we have 70-80 per cent kill of the larvae although it has been lower in Blandford in 2004 due to difficult river conditions.

We also had problems sourcing the biological agent needed in this country and had to order it from the United States. Thankfully it arrived just in time for us to treat the rivers.

There have been considerably less bite reports from members of the public than there were in the late 1980s and this is due to the treatment. We monitor the number of bites reported to assess the level of nuisance.

For more information on the Blandford Fly please see the attached documents.

Should you be unfortunate and suffer a blandford fly bite we would be grateful if you could complete and return the attached below form or alternatvatively contact this office on 01258 484318.  

Blandford Fly Biting Incidents Form

Please ensure that if you have a severe reaction to a bite you should seek medical advice from a doctor or pharmacist..

Blandford Fly Treatment

Control of the Blandford Fly using Bti